Vishneva Retiring from ABT in June 2017

[abatt]

Per NY times, her final performance will be on June 23 in Onegin

[naomikage]

Press release

DIANA VISHNEVA TO GIVE FINAL PERFORMANCES WITH ABT

Farewell Performance Scheduled for Friday Evening, June 23 at Metropolitan Opera House

 

http://www.abt.org/insideabt/news_display.asp?News_ID=560

[Dale]

Official release:

 

FAREWELL PERFORMANCE SCHEDULED FOR

FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 23

AT METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

Diana Vishneva, a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre since 2005,

will give her final performances with the Company during the 2017 Spring season at the

Metropolitan Opera House. She will dance the role of Tatiana in Onegin on Monday,

June 19 and at her farewell performance on Friday, June 23.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Diana Vishneva graduated from the Vaganova

Ballet Academy, joined the Mariinsky Theatre Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to

principal in 1996. Her repertoire with the Mariinsky includes the title roles in Giselle and

Manon, Kitri in Don Quixote, Masha in The Nutcracker, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Juliet in

Romeo and Juliet, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Gulnare in Le Corsaire, the

third movement in Symphony in C, Terpsichore in Apollo, Rubies in Jewels, Tchaikovsky

Pas de Deux and Grand Pas Classique, among others.

Vishneva has performed as a guest artist with companies around the world,

including Bayerische Staatsballett, Teatro alla Scala, the Bolshoi Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet

and Staatsballett Berlin. She has been featured in the programs Diana Vishneva: Beauty

in Motion (2009) and Diana Vishneva: Dialogues (2011).

Vishneva’s prizes and awards include the International Ballet Competition in

Lausanne (1994), Benois de la Danse prize (1995), the St. Petersburg theatrical prize

Golden Sophit (1996), the BALTIKA prize (1998) and the Golden Mask (2001 and 2009).

She was named Best in Europe by Dance Europe magazine in 2002.

 

Vishneva made her first appearance with American Ballet Theatre during the

Company’s 2003 Spring season dancing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and she joined ABT as

a Principal Dancer in 2005. Her repertory with the Company includes a leading role in

Ballet Imperial, Nikiya in La Bayadère, Kitri in Don Quixote, Titania in The Dream,

Giselle in Giselle, Marguerite Gautier in Lady of the Camellias, Manon in Manon, Nuages,

Tatiana in Onegin, Olga in On the Dnieper, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, the Sylph in La

Sylphide, Sylvia in Sylvia, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Thaïs Pas de Deux. She created

Princess Aurora in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty and a leading role in Alexei

Ratmansky’s Piano Concerto #1.

Vishneva will dance opposite Marcelo Gomes in the role of Eugene Onegin on

Monday, June 19 and for her farewell performance on Friday, June 23.

Subscriptions for American Ballet Theatre’s 2017 Spring season at the

Metropolitan Opera House go on sale October 26, 2016. For more information, please

visit www.abt.org.

[naomikage]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/16/arts/dance/diana-vishneva-to-leave-american-ballet-theater-in-june.html

 

Quote

Ms. Vishneva said that although the June performances would be her official farewell, she did not rule out one-off guest performances with the company in the future.

 

[Waelsung]

It looks like the ABT_Ardani rift is deepening.

[abatt]

I don't think this has anything to do with a rift with Ardani.  Vishneva has only been dancing two shows per season at ABT for several years, so she has clearly been winding down her ballet career in general and at ABT in particular.  I also did not realize that she was 40- I assumed she was around 38.  It doesn't come as any surprise that she is leaving ABT.  As far as Ardani goes, I think Ardani  paved the way for Kochetkova and Semionova to join ABT.  Unclear whether Semionova will ever return. 

 

McKenzie is right that the guest artist policy was creating as many problems as it was solving, so in that sense the Ardani influence has diminished for now. The era of packing in Russian guest artists is over, at least for now.   However, with Vishneva's retirement, McKenzie is losing one of the few ABT principals that was able to fill seats at the Met.  

Edited September 16, 2016 by abatt

[stuben]

Don't want to sound selfish here and I do love Vishneva, but hope this will help Sarah open a principal door?

[abatt]

I don't think this particular retirement will open many doors for soloists at ABT.  When Kent, Reyes and Herrera all retired/quit/were not renewed, the combined effect of all of those departures did open some doors for younger people.  However, since Vishneva was only doing two shows a year, her departure, by itself would not seem to have much of an effect on performances that can now be given to other younger dancers.  If Semionova does not return, I think that will be a much more significant effect on the schedule, because she was always scheduled for a significant number of shows.

[fondoffouettes]

I'm surprised she's not saying farewell in one of her most celebrated roles -- Juliet, Manon or Giselle. I assumed she'd want to go out with a ballet that allows for a Gomes/Vishneva love fest. I don't think I can bear to sit through Onegin again, even for Vishneva's farewell...

 

Also, what's the difference between one-off guest appearances and her current performance schedule? 

[canbelto]

4 hours ago, fondoffouettes said:

I'm surprised she's not saying farewell in one of her most celebrated roles -- Juliet, Manon or Giselle. I assumed she'd want to go out with a ballet that allows for a Gomes/Vishneva love fest. I don't think I can bear to sit through Onegin again, even for Vishneva's farewell...

 

Also, what's the difference between one-off guest appearances and her current performance schedule? 

 

I think it'd have to do with salary? If she's a guest artist I assume she gets the regular guest fee.

[Waelsung]

11 hours ago, canbelto said:

 

I think it'd have to do with salary? If she's a guest artist I assume she gets the regular guest fee.

 

You bet

$150 000 + business class air fare + the stay in New York

For just two performances? Cmmon